IDLEWHILE Ave
Betterton, MD 21610

The leadership of this school is tremendous. As a parent whose experienced only private schools until we came to Merion, I can tell you that this place makes a difference in the children's lives. The staff is passionate and caring. The parents are inclusive and dedicated. Each year there are festivals celebrating the diversity of the school which we found to be essential to creating an inclusive program which inspires and teaches. My daughter learned more here than at her other school she previously attended and the teachers inspire with their lesson plans and enthusiasm. I can't thank Mrs Heffron, Mrs Green and Mrs Whalon for making my child's education a stellar one. This is a public school at it's very finest. Far better than the private ones that we have attended. Big kudos for the staff, parents and teachers for making this a joyful place of learning.

If you are comparing this school to the Philadelphia SD, this school undoubtedly wins. The teachers generally care and respond to your e-mails, and the resources are there. However, if you look at the school in the context of the resources it has, BCMS leaves a lot to be desired. It's led by people with no vision and no passion to make the school the best it can be—they are primarily committed to maintaining the status quo and that everyone continues to receive their high salary. The school has had something like 5 principal changes in the last 7 years, and it feels like the Board has gotten tired of looking for the prefect option and is ready to settle for whomever is willing to take the position.Despite all the resources the district has, the school is pushing textbooks out of the picture, settling for a (most likely cheaper) piecemeal online worksheet-based education. This is, of course, creating many problems for the execute-functioning-challenged students, but the school is unfazed by this.Despite the very heavy technology use, the school/district is not ready to invest in their IT dept. and ensure the IT dept. stays ahead of the students so classrooms are not filled with students watching youtube and playing games for most of the school day. Again—the school has no plan for how to address the side effects of heavy technology use and is refusing to even think about coming up with one. The counselors are nice and every student is assigned one, but they have no time (possibly willingness) to see students more than once or twice during the school year. The school has multiple music programs and a few fabulous teachers, but also at least two examples of the teachers who shouldn't be teaching music or anything else. While the school boasts online about having the best music department, in reality the department is as mediocre as the rest of the school is. When it comes to music competitions, it's sad to see how this school compares to other schools that have a drastically lower budget. But, again, excellence is not what this school is aiming for—at all times, the administration remains primarily committed to maintaining the status quo. At the end of the day, this is a mediocre school that will offer your children more than most city schools will, but don't expect excellence—or anything close to it.

Lower Merion has fallen a long way. The lack of transparency, arrogance, and litigiousness of the district are horrific.

Great school, great teachers, and overall nice kids. The support that they offer is fantastic.